He of frighteningly colorful clothing shall be cast out so our simple sensibilities will be safe from corruption and the evils of knowledge.
Posted on 11/14/2014 4:46:14 PM PST by smokingfrog
Matt Taylor, who's a great scientist and seems to also be a pretty cool dude, gave a teary, heartfelt apology for his choice of attire on the day of Rosetta's probe landing.
"I made a big mistake, and I offended many people," Taylor said at Friday's media briefing, his voice trembling, "and I'm very sorry about this."
With that, the briefing moved onto the science (as it should -- Philae's days are numbered, and we want to find out as much as we can from the little probe that could). Taylor seemed to have trouble speaking for a few minutes, but perked up by the end. Many praised his apology on Twitter, and whether or not he was aware of that response, it seemed to have taken a weight off his shoulders.
Because none of the people calling out Taylor's attire wanted him blacklisted from science, or punished, or to run into a corner and cry. The coolest people in the world (like the ones who land probes on comets) should also be held to the highest standards -- they're the ones that the children of the world are watching for cues.
And for young women in the world, a shirt covered in hyper-sexualized women does not send a good message, conscious or otherwise.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Bonus points for a Blazing Saddles reference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN99jshaQbY
The whole shirt issue seems to me like much ado about... not much.
I was an engineer and worked in defense engineering and telecom for 12 years. (in the 1980s/ early 90s ) And I Never saw anyone dressed like that either. Absolutely brilliant men and women, many with masters and PHDs. The men (engineers and managers) wore dress shirts and ties, the women (ditto) wore classic suits. Even the factory workers and technicians were neat and professional looking although not as dressed up.
I can’t imagine any of any skill level showing up dressed like that to an interview, or heaven forbid a job, at EDS dressed like that.
I retired from one and would not want to be on the same block with anyone wearing it, for fear a google streetview camera would place me in the same frame. That would terminate my employment.
Better to have Medusa on your team than an attractive female.
Should you happen to turn to stone at your desk; you still get a check.
Or sag with age ;)
Twenty years ago, I had ten women directly reporting to me. That was 5/6 of my division.
It was like going to work in a minefield everyday.
Dear people who have never done anything valuable in your miserable lives. STFU. Leave him alone.
Kinda nerdy.
The Old Testament says something about the conservative nature in and of dress, and also prohibits tattooing. It’s my guide to human and Godly nature.
God filled you up witb milk and eggs.
Now go make me a cake.
He knew he would have his picture taken.
He chose to wear that shirt anyways.
The big question I have is...why..."
I'm going to take a wild guess and say he didn't give a rip.
Which indicates a problem with social integration. It’s like a 10yr old boy who wants to wear his halloween costume to church. 60+ years ago society didn’t have to ‘explain’ why not.
And a problem with ESA management. And not because it was a pic of scantily clad women. He can’t be trusted not to embarass them publically.
He’s a frat boy who never grew up.
The grown men who ‘advertise’ their heterosexuality the hardest in a particularly juvenile manner, are those who haven’t seen a real women in a while or aren’t sure that’s what they’re interested in.
Real men are busy doing women. I went out with the first kind and got tired of the equipment being grown up but the mind definitely stuck at 13yrs old. It was fun for a while but after a while...
He will either grow up or wash out.
As in, you know, LANDING A PROBE ON A COMET.
On the other side of the scale, he wore a tacky shirt that offends women who live to be offended.
Congratulations on your magnificent accomplishment, Dr. Taylor.
I don’t particularly agree with this guys personal and sartorial choices. I just learned over the years not to worry about things I have no control over. I have a job where I have to wear a uniform. there are some people who get away with bloody murder in the way they wear their uniforms. If I tried something similar I’d get in trouble, largely because I have a reputation of being a by the book guy. Do I worry about the disparity? No, It’s just the way it is, and I’m not going to change it any time soon. So I go in and concentrate on my job. Have you considered also this guys inability to separate his personal and professional lives is indicative of a greater ineptitude regarding his relationships? Perhaps something within the autism spectrum? From what i’ve seen there is a price to genius, and it often entails personal relationships. Just my .02 cents.
CC
Oh, I’d peg him as an aspie probably. But I might be biased having worked with so many PhD’s. Mainly due to apparent total lack of social judgement abilities. His management should have taken him aside pronto before the pictures were taken and handled this. Surely there are grown ups in the ESA somewhere...
The whining ‘apology’ was ridiculously effete though. Something trite like ‘I didn’t expect to have my picture taken’ or ‘we’d been working straight through for several days and I didn’t have a chance to go home and get cleaned up’ or similar would have sufficed.
I’ve never worked in or around any lab that allowed shorts on premises either. Usually safety rules and OSHA level regulations. I was always bummed I couldn’t wear sandals or open toed shoes.
I’m suspicious because this shirt is satin. Of my immediate and peripheral family there are 8 MS and PhD level science or other geeky type educational type peeps. I asked some of them if they’d wear this type of shirt to work. Universally the ones that have answered stated no. Because (all together now) ‘that’s gay’. Mainly because the shirt is satin. A couple of the more religious ones because the women are immodestly clothed. I don’t know any straight men who wear satin shirts. Much less to work. I offered to make hubby silk satin pj’s for Christmas one year. The look of horror on his face was memorable LOL.
Just sayin’...Hubby thought the print itself was really cool. On a poster or something. I agree. On clothing is dubious. Women won’t wear that (at least straight ones) and there’s that satin fabric choice...
I dated a brilliant guy, PhD mathematician. Peter pan syndrome writ large. He’d have done something like this, to ‘make a statement’ and ‘shake people up’. He also had a pocket nintendo he was addicted to and expected me to drive everywhere so he could play that 24/7 outside of work. I didn’t grow up where women drove men unless the man was deathly ill, blind, or crippled. I got tired of the little boy in the grown man’s body. Who knows what’s attractive to the women in this guy’s age group though.
My grandmother wore makeup, dress, heels and hose and fixed her hair to run to the grocery store for milk.
She would be appalled at what’s happened even just over the past 25 years. People still dressed up in the 80’s, mostly.
But whatever she did, my grandmother strove to never become ‘a controversy’. If you achieved notoriety, in her opinion, it should be for something good you’d done. Infamy wasn’t her schtick. Much less just plain tacky.
the whining is probably because some non-technical peter principle feminist manager is putting a warning in his yearly evaluation which threatens him with sexual harassment and firing.
as to the shirt, it is just a shirt, like a hawaiian shirt, only it has women on it instead of pineapples. so what.
the guy flew a satellite to land on a comet for the last 10 or 15 years, so imho he is entitled to celebrate and entitled to be cut some slack in a sane (non-feminist-epidemic-infected) world that celebrates accomplishment. but no, now guys can’t celebrate accomplishment any more, because there are females out there who might get offended.
as to your peter pan syndrome (thanks, looked that up) nerd date, what were you doing, robbing the cradle? and was this before, during or after your marriage? are you hot-wifing? enquiring MCP minds want to know! my mother had to teach my father how to drive, because up until he met her, he only knew how to fly 4 engine bombers (over places where flak was thick). but by your definition, that would no doubt make him effete.
I pity the fool!!!!
keyboard spew alert
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